Winona man sentenced to 40 years for drive-by shooting

A fight over a parking space that led to a deadly shooting will cost a 51-year-old Winona man 40 years in prison. 

Ricky Waiters will have to serve 30 years behind bars for causing the death of 53-year-old musician Robert Johnson outside a Winona tavern two years ago.

The sentence was extended for 10 more years because a second man was wounded in the drive-by attack. That man suffered multiple serious upper-leg injuries.

Winona County attorney Karin Sonneman said Waiters gave an apology at his sentencing on Thursday, but did not take responsibility for the shootings:

“He apologized to the family of Mr. Johnson for the loss of their son, but his apology, at least the way I perceived it, was not apologizing for his act that caused the death of the son,” she said.

Waiters fired shots from his car after he was told to move to a different parking space outside EB’s Corner Bar.

He claimed at his trial that a group of people came after him and he shot at them in self defense.